The UCP government will meet with grocers in a bid to lower food prices as war in the Middle East threatens a new spiral of inflation, Premier Danielle Smith said Saturday.
Smith said shoppers are being faced with sticker shock when purchasing meat and dairy products, and are asking “how the heck did these things get so expensive?”
Calgary anti-poverty advocates say the price of groceries is a main driver of growing food insecurity in the city and province.
“If the government can do anything to help access healthy and affordable food, it's great news,” said Dani Deboice, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary.
“Low-income people have very little wiggle room and food is the only variable cost — they're having to make trade-offs with rent and food.”
She said lower costs at the grocery store would reduce reliance on support systems such as the Calgary Food Bank, which says its hamper distribution has increased by nearly 200 per cent since 2020.
